I recently returned from a trip to Scotland where I attended a meeting of international researchers in the field of water supply and drainage (what we typically call "plumbing"). It was fascinating to attend this meeting, where 40 countries were represented and a total of 26 technical papers were presented. Fortunately for me, the meeting's official language was English.
As a proud American, I was disappointed to see how far behind we have fallen in plumbing research and the design of plumbing piping systems. This is especially apparent in the area of DWV and storm drainage. Most of our plumbing is based on research conducted more than 60 years ago. Very little of the recent advances in piping systems has made it into our plumbing codes. Furthermore, of the systems that have made it into our codes, the majority of the plumbing industry has rejected these advances.